Stoke continued their perfect start to the Championship season with a 2-1 win at Southampton to stay top of the table despite Divin Mubama’s red card.
Lewis Baker and Sorba Thomas scored for the Potters in the second half either side of Mubama’s 59th-minute dismissal.
Although Taylor Harwood-Bellis pulled one back for the Saints, Stoke stood firm to record their most impressive result so far this season.
Saints started sharply and came close to opening the scoring when Brazilian full-back Welington’s fierce cross deflected off Shea Charles on to Jay Robinson before flashing past the near post.
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Will Still was forced into an early change when Welington was carried off on a stretcher after 20 minutes, with Ryan Manning sent on to replace him.
The first half was scrappy with neither side able to find their attacking rhythm. One of Saints’ most promising moves saw Ryan Fraser pull the ball back intelligently for Adam Armstrong but he slipped at the crucial moment and Stoke cleared.
Saints teenager Tyler Dibling is expected to join Everton next week and he played no part, but another of their academy’s exciting young wingers, Robinson, was desperately unlucky not to have put Still’s side ahead two minutes before half-time.
He struck the left post with a low shot from Flynn Downes’ pass before hitting the same upright again when the ball rebounded to him seconds later.
Southampton made another change at the break with summer signing Damion Downs coming on to replace Armstrong in attack but it was the Potters who had the first chance of the second half with Thomas thundering a volley just over the crossbar after Nathan Wood had cleared a corner.
Viktor Johansson then pulled off a brilliant save to stop Harwood-Bellis scoring with a header from Fraser’s corner as the pace of the game increased.
Baker broke the deadlock for Stoke nine minutes into the second half, firing in the loose ball after Gavin Bazunu had done well to prevent Wood scoring an own goal after Million Manhoef’s mis-hit shot deflected off him.
Stoke were then reduced to 10 men when Mubama was given a second booking for diving as he went down under Bazunu’s challenge.
Saints threw everything at Stoke and Downes should have equalised with a free header from six yards out but made a complete mess of Fraser’s cross.
With the home side pushing everyone forward, they were left exposed at the back and Stoke scored again straight from Johansson’s long throw with Thomas racing down the left and shooting across Bazunu into the far corner.
With home supporters beginning to file out of St Mary’s, Saints pulled one back with Harwood-Bellis this time making no mistake in heading in Fernandes’ corner 11 minutes from time, but Stoke held on.